A Pirate's Life For Me
by TristansDice
Summary: A woman pirate dressed as a man travels through Tortall. Can she live through the shame of being a good pirate? She doesn't even know what a good pirate is! I think this would be a good topic Tamora Pierce never touched on pirates' lives in her books.
1. Aoidh aka Aoife

"Aoidh, sir, we're about to board Port Legann. Where shall we set up our goods?"

"We'll worry about that when we get there. Remember, we should find a busy place where people are _about_, not some shady, comfortable, deserted place."

"Yessir!"

"Lower the anchor," grumbled a soft voice to Aoidh's left. "Check your appearance, sir. We want to look our best." A mirror was handed over. Gazing, Aoidh herself is a handsome man- that is, for a woman. She painted red splotches on her high, woman-like cheeks. She bound her chest flat, and her shorter eyelashes were also a plus. With a loose, puffy shirt and comfortable black breeches, she fit right in as a male pirate. Several locks of her red-brown hair were beaded with real silver and gold, held back by a black and red bandana. She kept her real name and identity, Aoife, to herself and her first mate only.

Her first mate, Wokaihwokomas (called Wokai by all) was a young, well-educated Bazhir. He was captured by Aoidh only a short while ago and proved to be a very worthy man. Skilled in combat, he was also very superior when it came to making ship repairs.

"Take port!" she ordered. "Lower the starboard anchor, for Heavan's sake!" She strode down the deck. "Unload the cargo!" One by one, her crew took a huge, heavy crate and carried it to her. She was busy setting up a table and podiums to advertise her things.

Off and on passerby stopped to look at their plundered treasure and clothing, but without much success. "Dammit, what are we doing wrong?" she cursed, and kicked a box.

"Maybe we aren't being noticed enough," a man suggested.

"That's it!" She went over to a selling area nearby and bought a marker. Ripping off a long strip of bright yellow cloth from a dress, she tied it above them in between two buildings. On it she wrote, "VALUABLE AND RARE GOODS".

"_That_ should get us the attention we need," she said.

Still not many people were interested. They managed to get about half their objects sold, but not for much. The problem was, they were "good" pirates. Though they may plunder and attack ships at sea, they molested no women, took no prisoners as slaves, and burned no ships to the ground. Without people to auction off, their publicity was low.

Night fell, and Aoife's crew was getting tired and bored. "Can we go to the pub for the night?" the gunner, Sergue, grumbled.

Aoife scowled, and was going to yell at him, but thought better of it. She resigned herself and let them run off to the Poison Pear as she locked everything up to prevent theft. She too was tired and didn't feel like putting everything back in their ship.

Instead of joining her now-drunk crew, she decided to look at other podiums. She passed one with a young girl, ragged, with short hair and terrible bruises and scratches. Her nose looked broken. Little did she know she was staring at Alianne of Pirate's Swoop. Aoife almost offered to buy her, but some force urged her that was not a good idea. She gave the poor girl one last look and continued on.

Two silver chain necklaces and one small Inca statue later, Aoife settled herself at the back of the pub, not in the mood to drink. She was afraid she might slip. Soon Wokai joined her, and they sat in silence for a while.

"We need bigger crew," he told her.

"Yes," she agreed. "Not here. The people are slobs, slackers, and pretty much fools."

"At Port Caynn there good fighters," he commented quietly.

"Yes. We should head there next." She stood up and quietly left, her worn boots making next to no sound on the floor. She tossed a silver coin to every other crewmate as she went to pay for a room. She and Wokai took the last one and settled for the night.

* * *

Please keep reading and review! 


	2. Wokaihjkopbleh

A/N- Thanks for the tip about Wokai, sirladyknight, I agree, and I changed it, so I guess I'll say Bazhir from now on! Thanks again!

* * *

Aoife found herself asleep sooner than she thought. She just stared at the ceiling until her eyes forced themselves shut. 

_Aoife was looking around Blue Harbor. She watched, interested, several auctions that sold off Bazhir slaves. She stopped at one, inspecting the proud peoples in chains. She was upset they were forced into shackles like these._

"_I'll buy this one for 30 gold crowns," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. _Why did I just offer that?_ she thought. _I don't need a slave. _Some force was pulling her towards him, somehow._

"_I'm not a thing, I'm a human being," he remarked._

"_Very well," the seller said, ignoring the slave. "Any others on the Bazhir boy?" No one responded. No one would want a small, skinny boy with a nasty tongue._

_Aoife took her "prize" and led him away from the others. They went in the shadows, where no one could see them. "What is your name?" she asked, questioning already the deal she made._

"_My name is Wokaihwokomas," he said, resigned and quiet._

"_Well then, Wokaih...aih...jkopbleh," she struggled with the name, "have you ever wanted to be a pirate?"_

"_No."_

"_Too bad. Because now you're one anyway." She took off her tri-cornered hat, revealing a bandana, and placed it on his head. "I hereby dub you Wokai, first mate. You are now a pirate and not a slave, though you must abide to the rules of a pirate. Blah blah blah, and all that other official stuff." She turned away from him and walked back into the sunshine, squinting._

_Wokai proved to be a very quiet, observational pirate. He always saw ships approaching before anyone else. He found several gold pieces on the ground when no one else so much as glanced; the glint caught his eye. He even excellent hearing, and prevented a disaster when Aoife almost walked into a very private discussion including the king himself. Wokai was always there for Aoife, and in turn Aoife was there when she could be for Wokai._

_One day, though, their relationship changed. Aoife was in her cabin, trying to readjust her breast band. Wokai barged in to inform her of an attack and saw her unprotected chest. Gaping, he closed the door behind him, knowing he would get it later. He was at a complete loss for words._

"_What do you want?" Aoife asked him through the door. Her voice shook with rage._

"_You're…you're a woman!" he exclaimed._

"_Not so loud! You want the world to hear!" she whispered, trembling. "Yes, I know I'm a woman." _Should I kill him?_ she thought. _No one can ever know!

"_I swear on my life that I will never tell a soul," he murmured. "Never."_

"_Yes, that's all good and well, but it matters not now," she told him, opening the door as she spoke. She was back in her clothes. "What is it!"_

"_Oh… uh… we're under attack."_

_She swore and went up deck. It took several days to wipe away all the blood that accumulated after, with Aoife swinging like a mad woman on a rampage._

Aoife sat up in bed suddenly. She smiled at the recount of Wokai's entering in her life. She glanced at him, curled up in the bed next to hers. He looked not a day older than 10, in his feeble position, though he was really 13 or 14. To her surprise, he was sucking his thumb.

Early the next day she arose and woke the rest of the crew by pounding on their doors until they grumbled something intelligible. They were leaving as the sun rose. "We're bound for Port Caynn, due North," she announced, spinning the wheel.

"Raise the anchors," Wokai said silently. She smiled at him and ordered for the sails to be risen. She looked ahead, the wind blowing her hair to and fro, and grinned.

* * *

I'm going to make this more Tamora Pierce-related soon, as well as the crew meeting some new people to bring in the "good" pirate idea. Keep reading and commenting, please! More constructive criticism greatly appreciated and needed! 


	3. An orange sun

A/N- Sorry it's been a while since I've updated! Been really busy lately… but I'll leave you to the story without further ado!

* * *

It was on the third day of travel that it happened. They were about a third of the way to Port Caynn (not yet to the area around Pirate's Swoop) when the sun rose an orangish-yellow. "Tha's bad news, tha' is," the head gunner, Parker, thought aloud. "Bad luck, an orange sun. A storm's a conjurin' and goin' t' meet us to our doom."

"I don't believe in superstitions," Aoife said defiantly. There was a superstition that women on board a pirate ship were bad luck as well.

"Yessir." Parker went back to his work.

Later in the day, the sky ahead grew fogged. Heavy dark clouds surrounded the sky. Wind roared, ripping at their ears. Aoife's sensitive ears were nearly ringing as people held on to the closest heavy object so as not to blow away. "We should turn around!" someone yelled.

"No! We can brave this! Bring the sails in before they're tattered to pieces!" Aoife shouted back, turning the steering wheel so the wind would blow them straight ahead. "I've seen worse, much worse!" The white lie seemed weak, an excuse to keep going. She would prove superstitions wrong! Women are just as good as men!

The water ahead seemed to swirl around in a rough circle. A whirlwind was forming, Aoife realized with horror. She gripped the helm with all her might and pulled to the side. She didn't feel strong enough to be able to speak.

The hurricane was seducing them closer. She was turning with all her might, but without much success. Water splashed on the deck. "Get... get that water out of my ship!" she managed to say. It seemed to come out in a whisper in the earsplitting wind.

"Get the water out of here!" She heard not the barely audible whisper of Wokai, but a clear, crisp, perfectly commanding tone. She was sure it was him, though, and she smiled thankfully. Just as she did so, it began to pour. Her clothes were drenched in seconds and stuck to her body. The wheel became harder to grip and it became harder to control as water filled the inside through a small bullet-sized hole.

The whirlwind was too strong. Her hold on the wheel slipped. She did all she could, and she felt it okay to let it the entirety go all of a sudden. But then she remembered the fate of a storm such as this. People died. She couldn't let anything happen to her crew. They were her responsibility.

She couldn't give up. Her hold on the wheel was rejuvenated, and she turned it with all of her new strength. The boat turned 180 degrees and it slowly started to slip away from the rage. The rain ever so slowly decreased in intensity, and Knade chanced a breath of relief.

She stumbled and fell down. Strong arms lifted her and in the next second she felt the warmth of a fire and a blanket around her. Finally surrendering, she fell in a deep sleep for a long time.

Shouts awoke her much-needed slumber. Something felt wrong. She sat up and ran on deck. She stopped the nearest person to ask them what was wrong.

"The storm. It's back! See, Lazarus –one of the sailors, if you remember– took over the steering, because he's the best at navigation –well, excluding you– and , well, he's a bit of a slacker, so after you got all settled in your rooms and whatnot…"

"Are you going to babble all day or tell me what happened?" Aoife said crossly.

"Uh, sorry, sir. He set a slow pace for the ship and the storm caught us by surprise."

She grumbled, and looked out over the horizon. Sure enough, everywhere she looked, there were dark clouds. "Why is it so calm?" she asked, confused. It seemed to be a downpour with the wind wailing everywhere around the ship.

"We're in the eye of the storm. Soon we'll be out and the ship's going to go," Wokai told her.

"Don't be so depressed." She punched the Bazhir's shoulder lightly, determination once again filling her eyes. "I'm ready."


	4. Stranded together

Hmm… I'm having writer's block right now. I'll try to come up with more next chapter!

* * *

It was all a flash before Aoife's eyes. The storm came, and it was three times stronger. Lightning flared all around her, never hitting the ship. Then everything was black, and the next thing she knew she was lying on a shore somewhere. 

"Where am I?" she asked groggily, sitting up. The day had come and gone, and it was near dark when she awoke. But that wasn't bothering her. Looking to her right, she saw Wokai sitting near her trying to start a fire. Immense relief spread over her.

"On some uncharted island someplace," the gunner, Parker, grumbled from somewhere on her other side. "I told you-"

"Don't get started," she half pleaded. "Yeah, I still don't believe in superstitions." She brushed herself off and briskly went towards Wokai to help him. "Did everyone… make it?"

"Seven men died, but that's not bad." Parker indicated the bodies on the sand. "You actually stopped breathing for a while. We thought you were… too. One man went missing. There are nine men including us left. We have tents set up. We'll try to get a raft going tomorrow."

She nodded and went to check on the bodies. The quartermaster was there, as well as three sailors (including Lazarus, the fool who Aoife could've pinned the blame on if she wanted to), two "powder monkeys" (made up the gun crews) and her surgeon, Jimmy.

"Jimmy died!" She yelled a loud string of unspeakable curses. "NOW WHO'LL STITCH US UP ALL THE #& TIME WE GO INTO BATTLE?"

"Calm down," Parker barked back. "We'll have the cook do it when needed. Or we can hire a seamstress."

"Ha ha, very funny," Aoife moaned. She was sure, though, that he was dead serious.

"Come, it's late, and we all need sleep." Wokai gently took her arm and led her to a tent set up. His shirt acted as the tent flaps. Luckily, the shirt was very big on him and he was getting to be a big man. She couldn't find the words to thank him as he went to sleep outside.

"Tomorrow, things will be better," she told him. Her voice sounded empty and hopeless.

"We're stranded together. We shall find a way out… as a captain and her crew." Wokai said this very quietly so the others would not hear.


	5. Special oars

Later, the crew gathered at the fire to discuss where they should head from here. The campfire was burning. It ate up the wood as if it was ravenous. Aoife watched, staring into the reds, oranges, and yellows, for a while as everyone else ate. Eventually someone –she wasn't sure who– shoved some meat in her hands. It tasted bland; perfect for her mood. She didn't care what happened any more. She just wanted to lay down and never get up again.

Alas, as much as a pirate may want to do that, that is no way for a captain to act. She mentally stood up and brushed her breeches off. Then she tuned into her environment for the first time since their arrival.

It was eerily quiet, she realized. Only a few distant birds and the scamper of a rodent, most likely a squirrel, showed any sign of animal life. Plants were quite plentiful around her. All kinds of exotic flowers she had never seen before lined a spring and grew wild and free. It was dark by then, possibly midnight or one o'clock.

Parker cleared his throat uncomfortably. He wanted sound, not silence. "Well, what do you suggest we do, Captain Aoidh?"

"I think we should all share our opinions," she responded. "Right here, right now, everyone is now of equal rank. We will work in groups. I will get my hands soiled just as much as anyone else. Ranks are now gone, and I am just Aoidh. Now, does anyone know what we shall do?"

After a few moment's hesitation, one boy blurted out, "We shall die here and no one will even care, that's what shall happen!" A few other men were looking at each other and nodding their agreement.

"We must think positive here, or that very well may happen," Aoife told them sternly.

Another man spoke up. "We could cut down tree trunks and fashion a raft… I at least have a small ax on my belt."

"We should all carry a hatchet of some sort. Who here actually abided to the rules and has some kind of ax handy?" About half the men raised their hands. "All of you are now on chopping duty, starting tomorrow. All you do is cut down the number of trees necessary and make them into nice even planks. They have to be long so none of us fall off.

"Who knows how to create rope in an environment such as this?" One man knew. "You and you-" she indicated the man sitting next to them- "you tie the boards together when they get to you. Tight, remember, tight. We don't want to drift apart.

"Wokai and Parker, you know all this stuff. Make sure everyone's doing their job right, and don't hesitate to correct them if they did something wrong, there's an easier way, etc."

"What about you?" Parker asked her.

"I'm going to make oars… of a sort. Do you want to just drift around in the middle of nowhere of actually have a destination?"

"I would rather have a destination."

"That was a rhetorical question." She held each man's gaze for a second. "Any questions? Speak now, for tomorrow we work until sundown."

After a quick breakfast the next day, everyone got to work in their "groups". Aoife went far apart from the rest and sat cross-legged on the ground. She needed much effort and could not be distracted. She had a special kind of technique that took long to make, but is more efficient when paddling.

She had just finished two such oars when a man came bursting through the undergrowth, calling her male name. "I'm here! Over here!" she called back.

"Ship ahoy!"


End file.
